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'''Comptonia''' is a monotypic genus (containing only '''Comptonia peregrina''') in the family Myricaceae, order Fagales. It is native to eastern North America, from southern Quebec south to the extreme north of Georgia, and west to Minnesota. The common name is 'Sweetfern' or 'Sweet-fern', a confusing name as it is not a fern.
It is a deciduous shrub, growing to 1.5 m tall. The leaves of the plant are linear to lanceolate, 3-15 cm long and 0.3-3 cm broad, with a modified dentate, pinnately lobed margin; they give off a sweet odor, especially when crushed. The flowers are imperfect, meaning that no one flower has both gender parts. It tends to grow on dry sandy sites, and is associated with pine stands.
''Comptonia peregrina'' is used as a food plant by the larvae of some Lepidoptera species, including ''Bucculatrix paroptila'', Grey Pug, Setaceous Hebrew Character, Io moth, and several ''Coleophora'' case-bearers: ''C. comptoniella'', ''C. peregrinaevorella'' (which feeds exclusively on ''Comptonia''), ''C. persimplexella'', ''C. pruniella'' and ''C. serratella''.
Several fossil species have been discovered, showing that the genus once had a much wider distribution throughout the Northern Hemisphere.
Sweet fern can produce a mid high when smoked, hence its drug nickname, redneck reefer.

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References

References

★ Flora of North America: ''Comptonia peregrina''

★ Germplasm Resources Information Network: ''Comptonia peregrina''